Utah Republican Appeals To Charlie Kirk In Push To Pass SAVE America Act

With roughly 90 days remaining before voters cast ballots in the midterm elections, Republican senators are intensifying calls for the Senate to move faster on President Donald Trump’s legislative priorities before lawmakers leave Washington for the campaign trail.

The growing frustration reflects a basic political reality for Republicans: time is running short, and several major pieces of the president’s agenda remain unfinished.

One of the loudest voices demanding action has been Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee, who has spent months pressing his colleagues to rally behind the SAVE America Act, legislation aimed at tightening citizenship requirements related to federal elections.

Lee has repeatedly used his large social media following to build conservative support for the measure while proposing alternative procedural strategies to overcome Democratic opposition. Among the possibilities he has raised are using the budget reconciliation process or restoring a traditional talking filibuster that would require senators opposing the legislation to remain on the floor and continue debating.

Neither approach, however, has gained sufficient support among Senate Republicans, many of whom are preparing to turn their attention toward other priorities before the chamber’s upcoming monthlong recess.

Lee even invoked the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk while arguing that Republicans should remain in Washington until they find a path forward.

“I suspect Charlie Kirk would want us to remain in session and either (1) pass the SAVE America Act through budget reconciliation, or (2) require filibustering senators to speak, and keep debating it until it passes,” Lee wrote in a Monday X post.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune has resisted those proposals, maintaining that Republicans simply do not have the votes required to overcome the Senate’s current procedural barriers.

Thune has instead argued that Republicans should focus public attention on Democratic opposition to the legislation, telling supporters of Trump’s voting proposal to “turn our fire on the Democrats.”

The majority leader has nevertheless faced increasing pressure from President Trump, who has demanded that Senate Republicans deliver on the election-integrity measure.

In July, Trump called on Thune to cancel the Senate’s August recess until lawmakers passed legislation requiring strict proof of citizenship for voting, despite Republicans currently lacking enough votes to advance the bill under existing Senate rules.

Thune has said passing the legislation remains a major priority, but he has also emphasized the mathematical problem facing Republicans.

“It seems to me sometimes I’m the only one who can count to 50 in this town. But we don’t have the votes to get rid of the filibuster, and we aren’t flipping 10 Democrats to vote for the SAVE America Act,” Thune said.

Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedy is now adding his voice to those demanding a more aggressive approach.

During an appearance on CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” Kennedy praised Thune personally while arguing that Senate leadership has become too cautious about forcing consequential votes.

“Look, I mean no disrespect. I love John Thune. He’s my leader. He’s got a big brain. He’s better looking than me, but I think he’s just being too cautious,” Kennedy said.

Republicans have attempted multiple times to advance the legislation, only to encounter Democratic resistance. But Kennedy argued that GOP senators should continue putting major Trump-backed proposals on the Senate floor rather than assuming they cannot pass.

For Kennedy, the debate is ultimately about public confidence in American elections.

“In my opinion, for both sides to have credibility in our elections, we need to do two things and only two things,” Kennedy said.

He argued that voters should be required to establish eligibility before registering and that Americans should generally know election results on Election Day or shortly afterward.

Kennedy also rejected the idea that Republicans should abandon the fight simply because leadership believes the necessary votes are not currently there.

“I think we can pass it … but we’re not going to know if we don’t try,” Kennedy added.

With the midterms rapidly approaching, the disagreement highlights a larger strategic divide inside the Republican conference. Thune is emphasizing the realities of Senate arithmetic, while conservatives such as Lee and Kennedy want Republicans to force votes and make Democrats publicly defend their opposition.

For Trump and his allies, the clock is becoming increasingly important. Every week spent debating procedure is another week lost for Republicans hoping to turn their congressional majority into tangible victories before voters decide who controls Washington next.